Memories Of a forgotten Elder God
by SkorchNTorch
Summary: Forgotten by time and his own kind, displaced through many worlds and stripped of most of his powers, Roc is now content to spend his days fishing and drinking. But while most of the world has forgotten about him, some have not. With dark forces long since thought to have been defeated once again rising, Roc may have to return to the one thing he hates...
1. Chapter 1

You ever wonder what it would be like to be a God? All that power, all that knowledge, the immortality? It's something many a man would aspire to, dedicate their entire lives to searching for, a way to become a God. Brother would kill their own flesh and blood for even a sampling of the power that comes with being one. Many believe that obtaining the powers of a God, or even a half-God would be the greatest thing in all the world, no more sickness, no more weakness, no more death. With the power of a God, you are an unstoppable, eternal, unrelenting force that cannot be reasoned with, cannot be controlled, it's your world, and all who don't obey, die.

Honestly, it sucks.

All that power, all that knowledge, and what do you do with it? Try and help people? Well, what happens when people start to scream and run in terror. What happens when you're branded a warlock because of your powers? That's the problem, unless you want to rule with cruelty, or have the people who listen to you be complete nutjobs, there really isn't much you can do. And as for the never getting sick thing? Yeah, that's wrong. You can get sick, you can get drunk, the only thing is it'll pass eventually. Yes. Even that will. Sure, for the first few hundred (or if you're really uncreative, thousand) years things are great. You can choose how you look, you don't have to worry about money, anyone who tries to start a fight with you is in for the surprise of their life, and there isn't really much you need to worry about. But at the same time, don't bother trying to find someone to spend your life with, either human, cat or dog. You'll outlive them. After a few decades, you'll have seen the entire world, and sure, watching it change is fun, but the conflicts get really annoying after a while. Seriously guys? Someone said something _barely_ racist on the _internet_ and you're getting all pissy about it? Grow up…

Also, try being accidentally tossed into a criss-cross of realms you've never been to and finally marooned on one for the past few _millennia_ and things get REALLY dull. And before you ask those questions I just KNOW you're going to ask, let me answer them: First, I didn't leave because _I can't_. Godly powers don't work like that, and most of them were nullified when I got knocked into that vortex. Second, I haven't tried to contact anyone because I have no way to. Third, I haven't gotten involved with this world because I don't care about it. It's just another world, not the one I was supposed to protect. Also, yes, I said powers. I used to be able to open portals to other dimensions and realms with a wave of my hand, but now all I can do is manipulate plant life and can travel through shadows. Also, no, stepping on a flower won't piss me off.

Honestly, you'd think I'd be happier, after being stranded in a realm of pure and total darkness for… however long I was, that being trapped in Earthrealm for the past eight hundred years wouldn't be so bad. And all in all, it isn't unbearable. They have these things called 'Comic Books' that have really, _really_ weird characters, but they're surprisingly well written. I'm reading one about a guy with spider-powers trying to save his aunt form dying. Apparently, the devil shows up in it or something… Also, they have this thing called 'Mexican Food' and it's amazing, I need to remember tacos and nachos if I ever am able to get home… I bet they'd love it!

Anyhow, I've been sensing something… Portals were opening a lot more frequently than they should've. Forces from multiple different realms coming and going, and there was konflict, lots of it. There was a lot of death, more than normal, hell, the Netherrealm was for some reason coming to earth… But when I got down there, where the sources were, there were no traces of anything. It seemed… wrong. Something's up, my spine's telling me to be prepared, and it hasn't led me wrong yet… So. I guess we'll wait and see. Regardless, this world's issues aren't my issues, so I don't feel a need to get involved. Still, I do miss her, I miss all of them. The old 'squad' (I think that's the term people use now) back home. I just hope for the best and that they're doing okay.

End of entry.

Setting his pen down. Roc sighed audibly before turning to his beer. Taking a long drink, he sighed contently before looking up to the television, seeing how the game was going. He smirked as the rookie took a shot and the puck soared past the goalie into the net.

"Woo." He quietly said, holding his beer up.

"Can I get you another one?" The bartender asked.

"Nah, I'm good Ryu." Roc replied with a wave.

"It's Ryo." Ryo replied, slightly annoyed.

"Yeah? I'm drunk. What do you expect?"

"Well, then I'm cutting you off. I can't let you drive home drunk." Ryo said matter-of-factly. "I ain't dealing with that legal nightmare."

"I walked here!" Roc retorted. "And I'm still feeling things! I need more beer!"

Ryo laughed and poured the old man another drink. Since he had started working at the Overworked Beaver nearly nine years ago, he didn't really know what to expect. Once the previous owner gave him the keys, he still wasn't sure what to expect. Still, for the past seven years, he had gotten to know 'Roc Shaye' and honestly, he was glad he got to know him. Sure, the bar always had patrons who he'd talk to, but Roc, well, Roc _got it_. The old man was always ready with a quip or an insult and always had some rather fascinating philosophical insight into almost everything. And from what he talked about, he had done almost _everything_. But now, he was content to work down at the docks mending boats and fishing to pay the bills (and more importantly, his bar tab) but hey was always good for conversation, although he could be a little mysterious. But Ryo wasn't the kind to judge or pry, Roc paid and at the end of the day, and the conversations were a bonus. Regardless, Roc picked up the mug and took another long drink.

"Ah… That's the stuff!" He sighed. "I'll be back in a sec, I need to ask you something."

Picking up his walking stick, he began walking towards the bathroom, disappearing into the door as two men walked into the bar. One of them wore a blue and grey hoodie with black sunglasses and the other man wore a red vest with used a walking stick to find his way towards the bar. Ryo paused, a bit surprised when he realized who was in his bar. What was Johnny Cage doing here?

"You sure this is the place?" Johnny asked aloud, looking around at the mounted moose head on the wall, the paddles and the canoe in the rafters.

"Yes, the spirits guided us here, he should be near." The blind man replied.

"Huh." Ryo said quietly, shocked that Johnny Cage was in his bar. And approaching.

"Can I get a beer?" Johnny asked, clearly seeing the shocked look on Ryo's face.

"S..sure…" Ryo said pouring a beer for the actor.

While standing at a urinal, Roc felt something odd. Someone in tune with the spiritual forces was very close. Roc's brow furrowed, unsure of what to do. Had they finally come? Had they finally won the tournament? No, they couldn't have. He hadn't felt the force of his old friends magic in nearly thirty years… But it was definitely human, so Roc sighed and picked up his walking stick he made his way back to the bar, passing a blind man and seeing Ryo talking to that actor… Case? Johnny Box? Whatever, Roc hadn't been keeping up with media these days.

"Ryo, who's your friend?" Roc sighed sitting back down. "I thought I was the only old guy you hung out with."

"The name's Cage, Johnny Cage." Johnny introduced himself. "You may have heard of me."

"Nope." Roc replied, taking a drink and making Johnny's jaw drop.

"Really?! Return of the Dragon, Fists of Fury… Ninja Mime?!" Johnny listed off some of his titles shocked that someone _didn't know who he was!_ Roc however, heard the blind man stifle a laugh and smirked slightly himself.

"Weren't you that guy who had that sextape leaked with that military commando a few years back?" Roc asked, remembering hearing something about some hot-shot Hollywood actor having a tape leaked online, supposedly by an angered ex or something. The look on Cage's face game him the answer he needed. "Yeah, I don't watch movies."

"I…er… okay, screw you." Johnny finally managed to reply, slightly agitated.

"Why? So, it can end up on the internet as well? I'll pass." Roc retorted, finishing his beer and standing up. "Thanks for the drinks kid." He then picked up his walking stick and left the bar.

"I like him." The blind man smiled as he watched the old man leave.

"Really Kenshi? He's an asshole!" Johnny groaned.

"I thought you two would get along in that regard." Kenshi coolly replied.

"Don't mind Shaye." Ryo shrugged. "He's old, but he's not mean to be cruel, he just makes fun of everyone, himself included."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Johnny replied with a dismissive wave.

"What can you tell us about him?" Kenshi suddenly asked, sitting down at the bar.

"What the hell are you doing man?" Johnny asked confused.

"He's the one we're looking for." Kenshi replied under his breath.

"Not much." Ryo replied. "Why?"

"Look kid, we're kinda here for reasons we can't talk about. So, whatever you can tell us would be great. I'll give you an autograph if that helps."

Ryo looked at the two of them and then sighed slightly. Not sure if he was about to betray his friend's trust or not.

"Like I said, he's an old guy who just sorta shows up here most nights." He began. "I don't know where he lives or what he does all day but I'll tell you this, there are some things better left in the dark."

Ryo then left to go make a drink for someone else, leaving the two at the bar. Kenshi seemed to be focusing on something while Johnny watched him go.

"Well, that was weird." Johnny commented.

"He dosen't know much more." Kenshi remarked. "He's known that man… 'Roc' apparently, for a few years now. But there isn't much to go off of."

"You sure this is the guy we're looking for?" Johnny asked, still bewildered that the old man may have been the one they were sent to find.

"Yes. I sensed an energy in him unlike everyone else. If he isn't the exact one we're looking for, he's certainly a piece to find him. And don't forget Cage, Raiden and Tsung could make themselves look older than they really were."

"Raiden's a God and Shang ate souls." Johnny sighed as the two left the bar. "Your points are mute."

"He may be a God himself Johnny."

"Yeah, yeah." Johnny muttered as he left the bar, leaving a twenty for the beer.

When Roc returned home, he cracked his neck and sighed. As he entered his house, he sat down in a series of roots which formed a sort of chair with leafs and grass forming a cushion, he leaned back and folded his hands. While he enjoyed drinking at the Overworked Beaver, he was confused as to why a blind man would have such a strong connection to the spiritual forces, and he didn't want to stick around to ask him. Come to think of it, he may not have been blind at all, but who was Roc to judge? He cast a glance over to an old withered journal he kept on his shelf, he extended his hand out and a vine grew forward and picked it up before bringing it back to him and disappearing. He opened it and leafed through a few pages and smirked at the drawings in it. One of them depicting a large winged man fighting a woman who controlled water. He remembered the fight, it had been an intense one, but as always, he friend came out on top. He tossed the journal back to the shelf and stared up at the ceiling, now questioning what he was going to do. It was only five-thirty-three, the sun was still up in the sky.

"Crap…" He muttered, slightly annoyed. What now?

 _Meanwhile…_

Kenshi and Johnny had made their way through the small town, stopping several times so Johnny could take pictures with fans. In the one hand, this really annoyed Kenshi, but on the other hand, he had known Johnny long enough to know this wasn't worth making a big deal over. Besides, the actor seemed to have mellowed out in recent years, and while he could still be a bit of an asshole, he was much calmer in most regards, even sometimes being downright intellectual. He certainly wasn't the man he was years ago, and Kenshi had to admit, he didn't mind the actor. He'd even go so far as to say he enjoyed his company.

Sometimes.

As Johnny finished up taking a picture with a fan, Kenshi tapped into his senses and began probing the area for any stray magic. It was… everywhere. The entire town seems to have the same type of magic that emitted off of 'Shaye' back at the bar. Either all these people had powers and they didn't know about it, or he had been here long, _long_ before the town was built, influencing the world around him as the years went by.

"So, I asked around and roughly half the town at least knows about Shaye." Johnny spoke up. "Apparently, he works at the marina, but that's where most people's knowledge ends, although he apparently dosen't have an enemy to speak of." The actor paused for a few moments then added: "Look, I don't doubt your ancestor's knowledge and all that, but I think he's just an old fart."

"Do you remember when you first arrived on Shang Tsung's island?" Kenshi asked, and Johnny groaned, knowing where the swordsman was going.

"Yes." He sighed, annoyed.

"And do you remember your skepticism about the history of Earthrealm and the Mortal Kombat Tournament?" Kenshi continued like a parent talking to a child.

"Yes."

"So, what would be so odd about Shaye being the one we're seeking?" Kenshi finished.

"It's… just… the location." Johnny admitted. "I mean, why would a God want to live at Victoria by the Sea? I'm not saying it's not a nice place, hell, I'm thinking I want to buy a summer home out here now, but it just seems weird."

"I have to agree with you on that." Kenshi nodded. "It _does_ seem odd that he would choose Prince Edward Island, but it also makes sense. It took us how long to find _anything_ about him?"

"True that." Johnny remarked as they headed towards the docks. "I'll give the guy credit, if he's trying to hide, he chose a damn good place. Who'd expect he'd hide here? After all, it's not the most populated, but it's also not obvious…"

"I hope that the kids are having better luck." Kenshi commented.

 _Meanwhile… (Again)_

Takeda and Jacqui were walking down a path leading away from the town towards a small neighbourhood, they been told by a teen at a coffee shop that 'This old dude' lived outside of the town and they were headed to see if they could find him.

"So, what makes this guy so special?" Jacqui finally asked, still confused as to why they flew out to P.E.I.

"According to records, he may have been a Kombatant in previous Mortal Kombat Tournaments." Takeda explained. "He may have come from Outworld as well, and considering what Kortal's been worried about, any support we can get to keep the peace would be great."

"Oh, I thought you were bringing me out here so we could be alone…" Jacqui said with a grin, grabbing Takeda's hand and pulling him close.

"Hey, why do you think I said we'd cover this area?" Takeda replied giving her a grin.

The two moved closer, but stopped when they heard something behind them, startling them both. Perched on a branch just above them, a great horned own looked down at them with piercing yellow eyes. It tilted its head and seemed to be studying them.

"Hoo."

"What's an owl doing here?" Jacqui remarked, confused. "I thought they were nocturnal."

"They're supposed to be…" Takeda replied, confused. Looking up at the owl, it looked back at him, as if trying to say something wordlessly, and then flew off into the nearby woods. "C'mon. We should follow it."

"What?" Jacqui asked flatly.

"Trust me on this Jacq. I think that owl was trying to tell us something." Takeda said before beginning down a path towards the woods, following the Owl off the path. Jacqui sighed and began following her friend.

After a few minutes of traversing through the woods, Takeda stopped and looked around for the owl, having lost track of it. He closed his eyes and focused his senses, feeling a strong surge of energy from nearby. Waiting for Jacqui to catch up he slowly made his way towards the energy and stopped when he came into the clearing, looking at a cottage with an old man lounging in a hammock, reading a book.

"Huh." Takeda muttered. This wasn't what he expected.

"Huh." Roc mused. This wasn't what he expected. "Wow… This comic sucks… I feel offended and I don't even read these that often…" Closing the book he looked up and saw Takeda and Jacqui standing near the forest. While he had sensed a presence nearby, he was somewhat surprised to see the two. "Hello there." He waved.

"Uh, hey." Takeda replied awkwardly, not sure of what to say. This led to him awkwardly staring at the old man, allowing a long silence to overtake the clearing.

"You looking for something?" Roc finally asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

"My friend here was following an owl." Jacqui suddenly spoke up. "He likes owls."

"Yeah, do I." Roc replied, sighing and leaning back in his hammock. Suddenly, he stopped when he sensed something familiar… the same type of psychic prowess the man in the bar had… Were they related? To be honest, he kinda looked like him. But the girl didn't look like the actor…

Takeda also sensed it, this was _definitely_ the man they were looking for, the amount of pure energy radiating off of him was astounding, but that also cause him to feel slightly nervous. The man seemed in is seventies at least, but with that much power, he could probably kill both him and Jacqui without a second thought, so he needed to be careful.

"I ain't gonna kill you kid." Roc suddenly said rather bluntly, finally sitting up and putting his sandaled feet on the ground. "Your paranoia is obvious, it's written all over your face. So, how about you do us _all_ a favour and tell me what you and your girlfriend want."

"We're looking for someone." Takeda began.

"Crap…" Roc muttered. Having a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Someone with powers…" Takeda continued.

"Look, I'm going to stop you right there." Roc cut Takeda off as he stood up and picked up his staff. "I know your kind, I know _every_ kind. While I can't tell if you're the 'Desperately seeking enlightenment and part of a cult' type or the 'Desperately seeking approval from your girlfriend's father by completing some stupid task' type, but either way, I'm not that guy. So, do yourself a favor, and _get the hell out._ " He finished with a slight snarl, making it clear that he was done with this conversation.

"Do you know who we are?" Jacqui asked, shocked at the old man's words.

"No, other than you're getting on my nerves." Roc muttered as he began to walk towards his home.

"We're looking for an Elder God who lives among men." Takeda suddenly spoke up, and Roc paused, his body noticeably tensing at the two words 'Elder' and 'God'.

"No Idea what you're talking about kid." Roc simply shrugged it off.

"You're him, aren't you?" Takeda prodded. "Xunos-"

Before Takeda could say another word, several roots suddenly shot forth from the ground, two grabbing his arms and one wrapping around his legs, suddenly lifting him upside-down off the ground. Jacqui rushed forward but found her arms were pinned to her side by a root that had a tight grip on her, keeping her slightly off the ground, and more importantly, unable to move. Takeda cane eye-to-eye with the old man, whose topaz eyes seemed to have a mixture of unimaginable fury, and a sense of someone who had seen so much, yet felt unachieved first and foremost.

"I don't know who the hell you are or what the hell you want, but if you want to walk away with her spine not snapped like a twig, you'd better talk. NOW." Roc growled. While his tone was furious, his voice was low, only making everything all the tenser.

"We're looking for someone, a supposed fallen Elder God." Takeda began, now genuinely frightened. "I don't know exactly why, but the Emperor of Outworld senses a dark force returning. He believed that this this forgotten God could help prevent whatever is coming."

Roc's eyes seemed to lose some of their anger, but was now replaced with skepticism.

"If this so called 'Elder God' is supposed to be forgotten, how the hell do you know they're real? Let alone where they'd be?" He asked.

"Raiden had a book, containing all the known Elder entities, past and present. Most of them are gone or simply in the afterlife. Some of them were unaccounted for, and we were trying to find any of them that were still around to try and help us. As for how we found their locations, it was a mixture of magic and technology from both Outworld and Earthrealm. It was a bit of a hunch that they were even real, but we thought we should at least look into it."

Roc's eyes seemed to regain some of his anger at the mention of the thunder god. Takeda noticed this and was unsure of what was coming next.

"Hang on." He flatly said, clearly not believing what he had just heard. " _Outworld_ is working with _Earthrealm_. Is that right?"

"Yes." Takeda replied with a nod, then exclaimed in pain as the roots got tighter.

" **Don't lie to me."** Roc demanded, his eyes beginning to glow.

"We're not!" Jacqui exclaimed. "He's telling the truth!"

Weather Roc believed her or not was unclear, but he did stop crushing Takeda's ribs as fiercely and he looked back into the teen's eyes.

"Okay, so, two kids are sent on a magical quest by some electric jackass to find a God that supposedly dosen't even exist? You really expect me to believe that?" Roc replied finally breaking down Takeda's explanation. Jacqui thought over what he had said, not feeling much surer this was the forgotten Elder God if he somehow knew about Raiden. Roc also silently cursed himself for accidentally showing his hand somewhat with that last remark.

"Well, yes. Because we found you." Takeda replied before he realized what he was saying. Then immediately regretted it as Roc's head snapped back to look at him.

"Huh. You're right in that degree." He muttered, mostly to himself with the faintest amount of a chuckle. Suddenly, another root shot up and an arrow was lodged in it. Roc's head snapped in another direction and saw a young man with a bow and arrow aiming at him.

"Let them go!" The man demanded.

"You fire and they die." Roc blandly replied, moving Takeda in front of him. "Make your choice."

The man's eyes seemed to widen in realization, and he slowly let the string loosen, sheathing the arrow.

"Look, let's all just calm down and-"

Roc was cut off by a punch to the back. Yelling in pain, he fell to one knee and loosened the magic holding Takeda, allowing him to wrestle himself free.

"Cassie! Wait!" He exclaimed as Roc stood up and turned around, his body language now one of a deadly predator. Roc glared at the young woman with blonde hair just slightly shorter than him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He finally spat.

"Me?! The fuck's wrong with you!?" She retorted, slightly angered.

"Trust me, you don't wat to do-" Roc began but stopped when Cassie threw a punch at him with he stepped out of the way of. His speed surprising everyone. "Alright then."

He elbowed Cassie in the jaw then slammed her head into his knee, making her stumble back. Blood coming from the girl's nose now, before she could get re-aligned, a large root appeared and grabbed her right arm. The roots flipped her onto the ground, slamming her face-first. She rolled back and managed to position herself so she could stomp on the roots, managing to tear them off of her leg and shot forward. She threw several punches at Roc, who simply walked backwards as if he was on a leisurely stroll, he managed to dodge them until the archer wacked him in the back of the head with his bow staff. Roc growled and decided to go on the offensive. He sweeped the archers leg, bringing him to the ground before catching the girl's arm and twisting it behind her back, then hitting her in the spine with his palm. The move caused the woman to yell in pain as she stumbled forward. Roc then grabbed the archer and punched him directly in the gut, before giving him a left hook across the face.

"We can keep fighting, or we can stop and talk!" Roc growled. "I'm fine with either, but if you go with option one, you're not walking away alive!"

Cassie shot forward with a glow kick, the green aura surprising Roc as he managed to avoid the attack, mostly. Her foot did hit his shoulder, and caused him to lose his balance, when the archer used to his advantage. Hooking the man's leg with his bow staff he yanked hard and flipped Roc into the air then onto the ground. While he didn't want to, he had to admit that they fought well. Suddenly, two large roots shot out from the ground, pushing the old man onto his feet. He grabbed his staff and spun it, clashing with the archer's then disarming him and sending his bow flying away. He spun his staff before hitting several key points on the archer's shoulder, waist and leg. No place that would be permanently damaged, but enough to hurt. As he spun back, his staff was bragged by two whips from Takeda, who yanked the staff out of his hands.

"Interesting." Roc remarked, before two roots shot up and wrapped around his arms, mimicking Takeda's whips. "Let's see whose better."

Takeda shot one of his whips straight forward and made the other one arc above him. Roc saw both of them and blocked them both, making the roots dart about unpredictably before the whips wrapped around them. Takeda seemed confused, then realized what the old man was doing as Roc began to spin, dragging Takeda for a few loops, then throwing him into Cassie. He motioned to the still restrained Jacqui and the vines brought her over.

"Everyone calm your asses down or else I'll do something I don't want to." He ordered, slightly tightening his fist and making Jacqui groan as the roots got tighter. Cassie just seemed more pissed off then she was before, Kung Jin seemed hesitant about his next move, but Takeda nodded.

"I'm sorry." He suddenly said. Shocking everyone.

"What?" Roc replied.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you like that." Takeda began with his apology. "I don't know you, and you might not be the man we're looking for. But things haven't been great over the past year, so we've gotten somewhat desperate. Look, it's obvious you have powers-"

" _No."_ Roc cut in with a very sarcastic tone. Takeda frowned, but didn't say anything.

"…and honestly, we need help. I'm sorry I accused you of being someone you're not, and I'm sorry my friends attacked you." He finished. While Cassie still seemed mad, Jin nodded in agreement before bowing in a sign of respect. Roc's eyes softened and he sighed, gently setting Jacqui on the ground.

"I guess… I guess I was kind of an asshole as well…" He muttered, clearly not happy about admitting to it. "I mean, you did give me a reason to be one… But kid, you're not wrong." He added, as a vine handed him his staff. "You want to know who I am? Then follow me."

He began to walk towards his house, Takeda looked to the others, then began to follow the old man, Jacqui following after him and eventually Cassie and Kung Jin following in the rear. Unsure of what they were getting into.

 **A.N. So, there's chapter one. This is something I've been thinking about for a while now, and with the upcoming release of Mortal Kombat 11 (which you BET I'm hyped for! Shao Kahn ALONE made me pre-order that game!) I figured this would be a good time to toss this out here.**

 **So, here we are. Before you ask, this is set after the events of MKX but before MK11, it's also not tied to any of my other stories, so don't expect Mad Dawg or myself to appear. This is meant to be a straight up action adventure Mortal Kombat story. No idea when updates will be, I guess I'll see how many of you enjoy it. Also, yes. I am working on both versions of A Dawg's Tale, as well as Zyon's Legacy, and the DBZ Death Battle Story and one other concerning humans… and androids…**

 **X = Doubt**

 **So, if you enjoyed. Please leave a review and fav and follow! Also, for updates on all the stories, go stalk me on twitter at NTorch (yeah, I kinda messed the registration up but whatever.) Now, I've got a seventy-five-page document on a certain warrior I need to go dig through for history and weapon facts… Aye. This should be fun.**


	2. Chapter 2

As Cassie and her team slowly followed the old man into his house, they all eyes one another nervously. Takeda seemed to be the most confident, and Kung Jin seemed to be following in an attempt to build trust. Jacqui followed a bit apprehensively, and Cassie was dragging her feet, not trusting this old man in the slightest. Sure, she _was_ in charge of the team, but when she didn't have backup and It seemed like their one lead was about to leave, it was hard to convince the others to wait. Once they all entered, they were rather surprised to see what appeared to be multiple chairs made out of vines, roots, and tree trunks throughout the house. Sure, there was normal furniture, but the nature-aesthetic caught their attention due to the extreme amount of detail put into them. The tree trunk had an image of what looked like three apostrophes surrounding a circle in the centre, seemingly burned into it. The chairs that seemed to be made out of roots were smoothed down and seemed like it was carved and to actually tree roots. Roc sat down in one of them and looked to the Kombat Kids, raising a brow.

"Well?" He finally said. "What do you want?"

"Well, like I said, we're looking for someone." Takeda took the lead. "Supposedly, his name is Xunos Atax."

"Weird name." Roc remarked. "Does it mean anything?"

"Separately, it's a combination of earth and shadows." The ninja replied. "But that's not the important part. Xunos is rumored to be an Elder God, one who somehow fell through the cracks and has been seemingly forgotten to time."

"And what exactly are these… Elder Gods?" Roc asked, feigning knowledge. While Cassie seemed extremely irritated, Takeda tried to probe the old man's mind, gently. So, he wouldn't be detected. But he didn't find anything…

"Elder Gods are supreme deities of the universe." Kung Jin stated. "Beings who could watch over all the different realms, and each one had exponential power."

"Different realms?" Roc asked.

"Oh, cut the shit old man." Cassie snarled, clearly at her limit. "You mentioned both Outworld and Earthrealm. You _clearly_ know what we're talking about!"

The others went silent, wincing slightly at Cassie's outburst, and Roc just looked to Cassie, then back to Takeda.

"Is she your leader?" He asked.

"Technically, yes." Takeda nodded.

"Is she always like this?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Ouch. You have my sympathy."

"And you're about to have my foot up your as-" Cassie began but was cut off as an owl suddenly shrieked audibly and flew towards her, its talons forward.

"Ashara!" Roc barked, and the owl immediately stopped, flapping its wings and flaying over to the old man before perching on his arm. "Sorry about that, Ashara has a bit of a hair trigger…" The others just looked at the great horned owl, Takeda and Jacqui remembering it as the one who led them here in the first place.

"She's beautiful…" Jacqui remarked, amazed by the owl's ability to be trained. Growing up, she had seen barn owls at her home, but they usually just ate some mice then took off, and in comparison, they seemed dirty and matted against the brown and white feathers of this one. Roc seemed to notice and held him arm out towards her.

"She's harmless, as long as you show yourself as a friend." He stated. Jacqui seemed confused, until Kung Jin stepped forward and gave it a few pats on the head. Ashara hoo-ing contently. The bird suddenly flapped its wings, surprising everyone (minus Roc) and the bird perched atop Jin's bow, looking down at the five.

"So, you're looking for some ancient God. Mind if I ask why?" Roc asked, getting back on track.

"Well… Look, if we tell you, you'd never believe us." Jung Jin shook his head. He was of two minds currently. Either this _had_ to be the guy they were looking for, or they somehow found the one _other_ guy with earth-bending powers. Plus, he had mentioned Outworld, but was trying to play dumb. "But aside from earth, there's at least seven other worlds that co-exist, or at least, used to."

"Other worlds? Like aliens and stuff?" Roc asked.

"No. Like other dimensions." Jin replied. Roc's face wasn't one of disbelief, but rather one of intrigue.

" _Are these kids serious?"_ He thought. _"Could this be my way back home?"_

"Hm. Sounds kinda crazy, but what does that have to do with some God?" Roc mused.

"Well, there's one realm known as Chaosrealm. Its name is pretty self-explanatory."

"They're all super chill and just wanna play cards?" The old man sarcastically responded.

"Do you want us to explain this to you or not!?" Cassie suddenly snapped.

"Not really, no." Roc shook his head. "But you all showed up and attacked me, and now here we are."

"Look, long story short, Chaosrealm is a land of pure anarchy and violence, it was led by a psychopath named Havik." Jin continued, ignoring Cassie. "He wants to just cause chaos and kill for fun, at one point he was defeated, but recently there's been rumors that he's returned."

" _Havik's alive? Shit."_ Roc mentally cursed, his eyebrows rising slightly.

"…and the current emperor of Outworld is looking for help to protect themselves from him." Kung Jin concluded.

"So, you're telling me that a God of Chaos has somehow returned from the dead, and the Emperor of Outworld wants help protecting himself?"

"Yes."

"Why do you need a God?"

There were some awkward glances, it was obvious this was the guy they were looking for, but they didn't want to force anything yet. Right now, they knew he was holding the cards they needed, and they needed to play theirs right to get his help.

"There was a Protector assigned to each realm." Takeda took the reins of the conversation. "For Earthrealm, his name was Raiden, the God of Thunder. There was… an incident a few months ago, and he became… twisted."

" _So that's what the disturbance was."_ Roc thought, thinking back to a few months ago when he was in absolute agony, feeling someone attack the Jinsei force directly, attempting to corrupt it. It got so bad that he believed that this was it, this would be his last day. But as quickly as it started, it stopped, everything seeming to settle back to normal.

"Anyhow, the reason we need an Elder God is so that Kortal Kahn can have a fighting chance against Havik's armies." Takeda concluded.

Roc looked at the four kids, seeming to be deep in thought. He didn't like this. He didn't like the fact that so much had happened since he had last heard from anything, he didn't like that Raiden has supposedly become corrupted, knowing what that could mean for more than just Earthrealm, but most importantly, he didn't like that he couldn't just ignore this like he had so many other issues previously. Havik alone was a great cause for panic, and as usual the other Gods weren't doing shit about it. Add to this the supposed corruption of both Raiden and the Jinsei force, and this was a recipe for a realm-wide disaster of cataclysmic proportions. But what may have been the absolute worst thing of all, was that he had just admitted that he was the being they were looking for, and essentially making sure that they weren't leaving without him, or in body bags. The teens seemed to know this as well, each one seemed to be calculating out some sort of plan in case he tried anything. Finally, Roc sighed deeply.

"Well, if you're looking for Xunos Atax. Then congratulations. You found him." Roc muttered.

The four stared in shock. Sure, they were pretty sure that this old guy was Xunos, but the way he said it, there was no big fanfare, no real 'oomph' to it, just a mutter, as if he was ashamed of it. On top of that, they weren't sure how to address him. Eventually, Kung Jin bowed out of respect, making Roc raise a brow.

"What are you doing?"

"With all due respect Lord Xu-" The Archer began.

"No." Roc cut him off immediately. "Stop. Right now. None of that 'Lord Xunos' crap. I haven't done anything deserving to be addressed by that title in ages. On top of that, that's not my name." He finished with his eyes narrowing slightly. Jin seemed a bit flustered but nodded nonetheless. "Hell… I knew this was going to happen sooner or later…"

"So, you're an Elder God?" Jacqui asked. She didn't disbelieve him, (nearly having your spine broken by giant roots tended to make one believe) but she also knew of cryo and pyromancy, so was this some previously unknown magic ability?

"Yeah." Roc nodded. "But I can't help you."

"What? Why?!" Takeda exclaimed.

"Simple, if what you're saying is true, then Outworld is doomed." Roc began. "If Raiden has become 'corrupted' like you say, then he dosen't have his powers-"

"He has his powers." Cassie cut the old man off. "He just seems… darker."

Roc didn't say anything for a few moments, then his eyes seemed to widen in horror at a thought.

"I need you to tell me what happened. _Right. Now."_ He said very sternly.

"Have you ever heard of Shinnok?" Kung Jin asked, and Roc seemed to scowl deeply.

"Yeah, I know that bastard. He was a pretentious piece of shit. Why we bothered keeping him around was beyond me." Roc grumbled. "He never seemed to be like the others, he seemed depraved, power-hungry."

"Well, a few months ago, he managed to return thanks to a sorcerer named Quan Chi." Jin explained. "Using his amulet and a bunch of dark magic, Shinnok returned and tried to wipe out the world, he corrupted the Jinsei force directly to try and make him even more powerful."

"So that's what I felt…" Roc mused.

"Cassie was able to defeat him, but the only way we could purify the force was if Raiden absorbed the negative energy directly into his body. When he finished… he seemed off."

Roc's face seemed to drain of colour, his legs shook until he shook his head, bringing him back to reality.

"If what you're telling me is true, then I'm sorry. I can't help you." Roc admitted.

"What?! What do you mean you can't help!" Cassie demanded, angered.

"Havik's a problem, even to me." Roc explained. "But if Raiden has been corrupted, only the Elder Gods could help, and trust me, they won't."

"But, you're an Elder God!" Takeda reasoned.

"Not anymore kid." Roc shook his head, sitting back down in his chair. "If you came to me about two thousand years ago, I might have been able to help you. Now… I got nothing."

"Great." Cassie scowled, storming out of the cabin, slamming the door behind her.

"What are you saying exactly?" Jacqui asked, confused. "Why can't you help us?"

"My powers have been… strained." Roc answered. "I've been through a _lot,_ it would take me a long time to explain it all to you, and trust me. Right now, rallying anyone who can fight is more important. If Havik's alive, then a lot of people are going to die."

"And you're just going to sit here?" Takeda asked, slightly angered by the God's lack of empathy.

"No. I'm going fishing." Roc stated, standing up. "You know where the door is, feel free to go. If you do fight Havik, punch him in the face for me."

Roc left through the back door and Ashara hooed, looking down at Jin before flying over to a perch and nestling down to sleep. The three looked to one another, then sighed.

"Well, that went well." Takeda remarked.

"That's it? We're just leaving?" Jacqui asked, bewildered.

"We should go talk to General Blade, she might know what to do." Jin reasoned. Takeda nodded and the trio left the small cabin.

When the Kombat Kids returned to a temporary headquarters a small distance from the town, they saw Sonya Blade was talking with a solider as they approached.

"How'd it go?" She asked, looking over to them as they approached.

"We found him." Takeda stated, and Sonya seemed hopeful. "He said no."

Sonya scowled at that and grumbled "Damn it." Under her breath.

"There's this old guy, named Roc… something or other. And he's Xunos Atax, he even admitted to it, we saw his powers… and then some."

"Are you hurt?"

"Nothing too bad, mostly hurt pride." Kung Jin shrugged. "Regardless, he believes he can't help us and left it at that."

"Weather he thinks he can help or not, we _need_ his help." She stated. "We don't know if Havik really is back or not, but even if there's the risk that he is, we need all the help we can get."

"Then perhaps someone else should speak with him." Came a new voice.

The four turned and were shocked to see Kortal Kahn walking towards them, flanked by Erron Black and Ermac.

"Uh… General, what are they doing here?" Takeda asked, a bit uneasy about the Emperor after what happened a few months ago.

"Kortal is here because he has a unique ability to sense magic." Sonya explained. "If Havik attempts to arrive anywhere discreetly, we'll have some sort of warning."

"Wait. How can he travel through the realms?!" Kung Jin asked.

"Havik was banished to the Netherrealm, but it's believed he may have absorbed powers from there, allowing him to traverse the realms undetected… for the most part." Kortal explained. "But enough of Havik, where is the Xunos?"

"Not coming here." Cassie grumbled. "He claimed he couldn't help us and that this was a fight we couldn't win."

"Where is he? I'd like to speak with him." Kortal repeated himself.

"With all due respect Emperor." Takeda spoke up. "He sees no reason to help us, he's not changing his mind."

"Then take me to him, and I will change his mind." Kahn ordered.

 **Well, here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy it.**

 **I'll be real, I'm tired, I'm just sorta hacking away at all my stories at once, whatever comes next is next.**


	3. Chapter 3 (Fixed)

"This is a terrible idea…" Jacqui muttered.

"You want to try and talk him out of it? Go ahead." Kung Jin hissed back.

Despite their best attempts to reason with the Osh-Tekk warrior, Kotal Kahn still seemed determined he could talk some reason into Xunos. While it was true that Kotal Kahn could be somewhat brash at times, he was nowhere near as bull-headed or, to be rather blunt, vile as previous Outworld rulers. In fact, there almost seemed to be a sense of panic surrounding him, an air of desperation that had drove him to come out this far to try and talk with a supposed fallen Elder God. Despite her reservations about leading the emperor who had tried to kill them a few months ago to a being supposedly infinitely more powerful than all of them combined, Jacqui couldn't help but be genuinely curious as to what would happen when these two met. If they did after all.

"You sure you know where we're going?" Erron Black asked, still looking ahead at the surrounding forest. Kortal obviously hadn't come alone, but due to the… potentially unnatural sight of a humanoid-reptile or a floating amalgamation of souls to Earthrealmers, Erron and Reptile had been chosen to go with Kortal to meet with Roc.

"Yes." Jin replied flatly, pushing a few branches out of his path.

"You're sure this old man is some sort of… forgotten Elder God?" The gunslinger continued with his line of questions.

"If not, he's the closest thing we're going to find. And if Havik really _is_ back, we need all the help we can get."

"Great." The eye roll could be heard from behind them as they kept walking.

"Are you sssure this isss sssafe?" Reptile quietly hissed, looking over to Kotal.

"I cannot say for sure, but I don't believe Earthrealm would try something as stupid as an assassination attempt. Regardless, remain on guard Syzoth." The Osh-Tekk emperor replied calmly. Reptile was surprised by Kotal addressing him by his old name. "Go ahead of us, you're my eyes, see if he poses a threat."

Reptile nodded before quickly turning invisible and silently scaling a tree, jumping from branch to branch, making them rustle slightly.

"That ain't gonna end well…" Jacqui muttered, seeing the light slightly reflect off of the invisible spy. She and Reptile didn't have any bad history, but that didn't mean they were friends, quite the opposite in fact.

Reptile jumped from tree branch to tree branch, silently slipping through the forest, the only sound being the occasional rustling of leave and the animals scattering. Having spent so long in Outworld, Reptile found this forest to have a very strange smell. The water in the lakes nearby were salty, much like the ocean's in Outworld, but the smell wasn't overpowering, in fact, it was very soothing. Landing in a large tree, Reptile looked around, trying to figure out where to head next. However, his powerful hearing picked up someone in the distance, and he continued his trek, finally coming to a pause on a large branch. Crouching, he saw an old man on his knees in the middle of a clearing.

Roc meanwhile had his hand planted on the ground, repeating an incantation, tapping into the natural force he could feel, trying to sense anything off. He felt nothing out of line, the world seemed fine. But that was the issue, he could tell there was something off, and he was struggling to figure out _what_ it was. Continuing to probe deeper into the forces of the realm, Roc frowned as he began to feel a cold darkness envelop him, the usually warm and calming natural sense of life was being slowly twisted, re-formed into a dark, cruel, cold force that had a cold sting to it. He recognized it all too well, it was the unmistakeable aura of death. Roc breathed calmly, letting himself inject a small amount of majik into the ground, the essence quickly traveled downwards and entangled itself with the dark essence. The two becoming entwined as Roc's majik seemed to eat away, cauterizing the darkness. Ashara perched on Roc's staff and hooed questioningly, cocking her head to one side as she watched the old man's ritual. All around Roc, a series of green symbols appeared and began glowing around him as he stopped repeating the chant and simply paused, listening for something. Picking himself up, he walked over to the side of his house and filled a wooden cup from a small well he had. He could hear rustling coming from behind, expect that the kids had returned with their parents or military backup. He took a long drink as he turned around and choked slightly when he saw the large green-skinned figure wearing a large feathered helmet standing in the clearing next to a man who seemed to be straight out of a Lone Ranger serial.

"Hello." He said in a collected tone. "Can I help you?"

"We seek the man known as Roc Atax, I wish to speak with him." The large green figure spoke.

"And who exactly are you?" Roc asked skeptically, sensing the aura of the two.

Outworld.

"I am Kotal Kahn, ruler of Outworld." Kotal said with a respectful bow. Roc raised a brow when he heard the term 'Kahn'.

"Who do you serve?" Roc asked inquiringly, he hadn't been to Outworld in a long time, but this guy… this 'Kotal', he _wasn't_ the ruler. "Do you come here as warriors of the true king Onaga? Or as assassins of the Netherrealm?"

Kotal and Erron looked to one another, puzzled by the old man's question, until Kotal spoke up, deciding to be blunt with his response.

"Onaga has been dead for centuries." Kotal began. "He was murdered by his successor, Shao Kahn, his daughter would rule after his death for a brief time, then I would overthrow her, taking the throne of outworld for myself."

Roc's eyes widened in shock at the news. Onaga was dead?! But… this couldn't be! He would've sensed it! He would have-

" _No. You would have if you had all your powers still."_ He mentally cursed at himself. _"But you're frail and weak, you can barely even tell what's happening in this realm."_

"Why are you here Kotal Kahn?" Roc asked, the word 'Kahn' being laced with heavy sarcasm and disdain.

"We seek the one known as Roc Atax, we require his assistance." Kotal stated matter-of-factly.

"Look, I'll tell you what I told the kids, I ain't getting involved in your political crap." Roc replied, almost annoyed at how things seemed to be going. "So why don't you tell that to your Saurian friend up in the trees before Ashara mistakes him for an assassin?"

Now Kotal was taken aback by the old man's remark. How did he know that reptile was up in the trees? He shook his head slightly, believe the old man may have simply been bluffing.

"I know where he is." Roc continued, his eyes narrowing somewhat, but also glowing a light green. "No one takes a step in this forest without me knowing about it, so I'll ask you all once again, and consider this your final warning: go. I don't want to get involved in a potential war I have no investment in. Let alone fight for a pretender who _claims_ to be the Kahn, you disgrace Onaga's rule."

"Please, I do not come here looking for konflict, and I ensure you that Onaga is no longer the ruler of Outworld, he-"

"Murderer!" Roc shouted, snapping his hands outwards, roots from the ground appearing, long thorns suddenly forming up and down them, his eyes also turning a blood-red. "You killed the Kahn!"

Kotal scowled, he didn't want to fight their one chance at help, but also understood he had no choice now. Erron drew both his revolvers and Kotal pushed him back.

"No." He demanded. "This is between him and I."

Roc made the roots grow high into the air, the wall forming behind him while debris and small stones rained down all around him.

"In the name of Onaga, the ruler of Outworld, you will _DIE."_ Roc declared. Kotal readied himself for kombat, angered that he wasn't able to bring his sword with him to Earthrealm, but before Roc could lash out, the plants he summoned began to wilt, and Roc fell to his knees, clutching his head, crying out in pain.

"What did you do Kotal?!" Cassie yelled, running up to the clearing.

"Nothing!" The Osh-Tekk defended himself. "He attempted to attack, and then fell, I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Ha..vi…k…" Roc wheezed out. "Cha..os…real…"

"What's going on? Is he having a stroke?"

Roc made an inaudible gurgling noise as his eyes seemed to glaze over red and somewhat roll back into his head. Falling to his knees, he garbled something unintelligible, then vomited a thick black-and-red sludge onto the ground which seemed to burn the ground they stood on as if it was acidic. Groaning, he looked up at Kotal Kahn with wide eyes before finally saying:

"We're all in danger."

Kotal blinked then moved forward, helping him to lean against a tree, letting the old man cough aggressively, his eyes seemingly back to normal.

"He's back." Roc coughed. "She wasn't lying… Havik's back…"

"That's why we're here, we've been feeling his Chaos magic throughout Outworld." Kotal said very calmly, trying to get through to the old man. "We need your help."

"I can't." Roc shook his head. "I can't help you."

"Why not?" Kotal asked, his tone growing more serious. "If you are Xunos Atax, you can help us defeat Havik, like you did the Chaos Preists' of past! You-"

"I don't have my powers." Roc wheezed out, trying to catch his breath. "Not the same ones I used to. I've been cut off for too long…"

There was a silence for a few moments, then Roc spoke again.

"If you are the Kahn. Bring me back to Outworld. If we can find some relics I used long ago to channel my powers, they may be able to give me some of my strength back."

"Of course." Kotal nodded, helping Roc to his feet. "Erron. Tell the others, we're leaving for Outworld."

The gunslinger seemed surprised by the turn of events, but knew better than to question who was paying him and nodded, turning and leaving with reptile.

"How can an Elder God lose their power?" Kotal asked as the two began making their way down the path.

"Really? You're asking this _now?_ " Roc groaned, shooting an annoyed glance at Kotal Kahn.

"It doesn't seem possible is all." Kotal remarked.

"Normally they can't. But I believe my daughter has been taking them." Roc grumbled, shaking his head. "I just hope that isn't true, but the last thing I want is to see her mother again…"


	4. Chapter 4

A large portal opened as the group entered into Outworld. Roc paused and looked around, taking in the torn, desert wastelands of Outworld. He seemed to be staring in absolute disbelief. To the others, it was an odd sight. Kotal Kahn had spent much of his time as Kahn trying to restore Outworld to it's one proud and respectable heritage. Trying to remove the corruption and filth that had encased this world for millennia, the twisted actions of Shao Kahn could still be felt to this day. However, the events with Mileena's uprising, and Shinnok's brief resurrection weren't helping things, and certainly wasn't making Earthrealm's warriors think kindlier of the Outworld fighters they were trying to make an alliance with. But there was something about Xuno- no, Roc, that just seemed… Well, no one knew how to even explain it.

"I don't believe it…" Roc said quietly. He was looking around at the large palace and columns that still stood despite the centuries of sand storms chipping away at the designs on them. The stone guards that had seen many empires rise and fall still stood at the bottom of the stairs, Roc was looking around, taking in the new buildings, the market, the giant statue that was being built. Normally he'd make a dry remark about compensation, but right now… he was happy. He hadn't felt this way (in quite literally) _centuries!_ "I'm back…"

"Roc, are you alright?" Kotal asked, stepping towards the Elder God and putting a hand on his shoulder. The old man twitched at the contact, seemingly shocked back to reality, and shook his head.

"Ugh… yeah." Roc muttered. "I'm fine. It's just… I never thought I'd see this place again."

"You find beauty in the sandy remains of what this realm once was?" Kotal asked, somewhat skeptically.

"I find beauty in those that came before you." Roc answered. "I was here when the grass was green and rivers flowed through where we stand. I was here when the wars ravaged this land to it's very core, leaving it nothing but a husk, and I was here when the empire rose once more, adapting to its new life, and making warriors out of it." He turned to Kotal and finished. "While this land may be ravaged, and a fractured reflection of what it once was, I see beauty that has lasted thousands of years, and beauty that will endure for thousands more."

The silence that followed wasn't one of shock or disgust, but one of awe. Kotal Kahn was taken aback, but understood everything that Roc said, the Special Forces that had come with the Outworld crew (now with Johnny, Sonya and Kenshi) had simply listened in amazement. From their brief interactions, Roc seemed to either be an asshole, or an alcoholic, or both. But, to everyone (except Kenshi) it hadn't dawned on them that just because Roc spoke a certain way, didn't mean that he didn't have _thousands of years' worth of experience._

"What happened while I was gone?" Roc asked.

"Follow me, there is much to explain." Kotal Kahn said, motioning towards the temple. The two walked off, and when he got to be bottom of the stairs, Roc called back: "You guys coming or not?"

"Hoo." Ashara looked down at Jin, having decided the top of his bow was a great place to rest. The archer shrugged and followed.

"So… we all sure this is a good idea?" Johnny asked.

"No, but I don't want them getting killed by that guy." Sonya shook her head, following after the group.

Kotal and Roc walked through the main hall of the palace, Roc seemed to be looking at the old carvings and murals, recognizing some, and experiencing others for the first time.

"Who is the current ruler of Outworld?" Roc asked.

"I am." Kotal Kahn nodded. It was clear that Roc didn't fully believe him, but at the same time, knew time had passed.

"You said… You said Onaga is dead." Roc began, clearly troubled with what he was saying. "Can you show me?"

Kotal nodded and led Roc down another hall. As they walked, guards stood to attention whenever Kotal passed, and a few of them seemed to question who Roc was, but knew better than to voice their questions.

"So, my dad's been trying to figure it out." Cassie remarked, walking alongside Roc. "Why Victoria by the Sea?"

"A number of reasons." Roc shrugged. "Mainly, I needed a place where I could keep rooted, part of it had to do with the remote location."

"Eh, fair enough." Cassie nodded. "I guess people just wouldn't expect a God to live in a small fishing town."

"Exactly." Roc said matter-of-factly. "No one would ever think to look there. Which reminds me, how did _you_ find me?"

"I dunno." Cassie shrugged. "I wasn't the one who found you."

A few feet back, Sonya was looking back at Ashara, who was looking down at the general.

"Hoo?"

"I don't know what your saying." Sonya replied.

"Hoo."

"Right…"

Ashara seemed to take the 'right' as permission, and landed on Sonya's shoulder, seeming to settle down.

"Hoo."

"Wait, no." Sonya said looking to the bird. "No."

"Aw, what's the matter?" Johnny teased, patting the owl's head. "I thought you liked nature."

"Johnny, can you please get this bird off of my shoulder?" Sonya grumbled. Ashara looked down with a tilted head and let out a 'Hoo?' as if asking a question.

"Ehh… I'll ask Roc in a minute." Johnny laughed. Sonya gritted her teeth, but didn't say anything. Currently, she found herself on edge more than usual, and not just because of the bird. If the warnings were true and Havik had returned, Sonya knew how badly it could end. She hadn't wanted to send Cassie's team to try and find Xunos Atax, not after what had happened last time with the Chaos God… She wanted to keep her daughter safe, away from the danger, but knew she'd never accept that. Cassie had too much of her parents' spirit, or stubbornness. Regardless, she wouldn't stand by and do nothing, even after everything with Shinnok, Mileena, and even Kotal Kahn, she seemed to have become more tempered that expected. Many of her daughter's traits were similar to Jacqui's, even down to the drive to do what was right, even if it wasn't easy. Jax didn't want her to join Special Forces, and Sonya didn't blame him. He had been killed, resurrected as a demonic ghost, killed again, brought back as a human, and had his arms ripped off (admittedly, that last point was practically an afterthought at this point). Takeda was part of their team for similar reasons, namely his father and the man he seemed to think of more as his father, Kenshi and Scorpion, worked with SF.

Then there was Kung Jin. The Shaolin archer was an anomaly in some ways. Despite all this time having passed, she didn't know as much about him as she wanted to. She knew the basics, his lineage, his family, his thief past, but she hadn't fully figured out _why_ he had joined with Special Forces. Granted, she was thankful he had, as the archer had been a key part in many of their missions, and he, to everyone's surprise, seemed to be Earthrealm and Outworld's mediator. It wasn't Sonya, Kenshi or even Johnny who tried to bring the two realms together after Kotal's… Incident, and when he had appeared to offer apologies, a blood bath nearly ensued, until Jin had somehow managed to calm down both sides. Since then, he had been a sort of negotiator in a sense. Regardless of his past, Sonya was thankful for his work.

But then, there was Xunos Atax or 'Roc Shaye' as he called himself. Supposedly an Elder God, and supposedly an ancient entity who guarded Outworld eons ago. Those facts alone put her on edge.

Suddenly, something was rubbing against her head, and Sonya paused, not knowing where it was coming from. Johnny knew better than to try that again, and it wasn't Kenshi or Takeda trying to get a message to her… Was it Roc? Or Reptile?"

"Hoo…"

Sonya blinked, coming back to reality. She remembered the own on her shoulder, and saw it seemed to be rubbing against her head, as if trying to calm her down, or be some sort of soothing presence.

Kotal walked into a somewhat darkened room, taking a torch off the wall and guiding Roc towards the back.

"I cannot say how long you were gone, but many things have changed." Kotal began. "The reign of Onaga ended well over five thousand years ago. Despite the history of Outworld being well preserved, there was no mention of an Elder God who resided around here during that time."

"Only Onaga knew I was a God." Roc replied, solemnly. "I figured if everyone knew, it'd only cause distrust and paranoia. That's why I wasn't Outworld's protector, and why I made sure that any traces of me would be… Hard to find, even after my time here was done."

By now, the two had come to what appeared to be a large wall. It seemed to be covered in carvings in an ancient Aztec style. There were words that no one had been able to read for centuries, but Roc knew all too well. From where he stood, he came face-to-knee with. The carving, but as he looked up, he saw Onaga, the Dragon King. His wings extended in a sign of dominance, his armour looking somewhat different from how the Elder God remembered it, but then again, it had been apparently nearly 5000 years, and the carving was in a tribal style, so he wasn't going to complain. In his hands, Onaga held the sun and the moon, with the six Kamidogu's surrounding him. Roc couldn't help but let a slight smile form on his face.

"Even in death you were full of yourself…" He chuckled slightly.

"I do not know what he was like when you were last here, but Onaga was known for being a ruthless, blood-thirsty conqueror. I don't mean to discredit any experiences you had, but-" Kotal began, trying to word his statement very carefully.

"I didn't always agree with what he did." Xunos cut Kotal off. "Many times, we fought together, but just as many times we fought one another. Inherently, Onaga's plan wasn't the worst. He wanted to conquer the realms so they could all be unified as one, but I don't agree with how he went about it. Blood-thirsty or not, Onaga was actually a good ruler of Outworld. I mean, sure, he made Outworld into more of a militaristic realm, but the army was undefeatable. He didn't arbitrarily kill soldiers who failed or made mistakes, he was feared and respected at the same time. He sought to use his army to protect Outworld's citizens and to try to convince the other realms' leaders that conflict was a bad idea."

"Protect them from who?"

"Havik." Roc spoke, venom in his voice. "Chaosrealm has always been a threat, and back during my time, they were worse than they supposedly are now."

"If you are an Elder God, wouldn't you have seen the threat Havik was becoming long before he could do any harm?" Kotal asked, and Roc have him an annoyed look.

"I did." He said flatly. "But the Elder God's… They're not great at stopping problems. I… I don't want to talk about it."

Roc looked back up at the carvings, his spirit falling somewhat. He had no idea Onaga was dead… But then again, he had trouble picking up on anything for the past few thousand years, so he knew now he wouldn't have been able to sense the king's death unless he had been in Outworld. Still, for better or for worse, Onaga had been his friend.

"Do you know what is written on this wall? None of Outworld's historians can translate it." Kotal Kahn asked, holding the torch up and illuminating the odd language.

"By sunrise we fight, by sunset we've won." Roc began. "When the moonlight shines down from above, all shall know of our victory. This is the way. Victory, or death."

Kotal seemed taken aback by the ease at which Roc read the inscriptions.

"How did you…"

"I wrote it." Roc remarked, not looking over to Kotal. "During his reign, Onaga was paranoid of spies amongst his own men, so I created a langauge only myself, the king, and a few of his most trusted warriors would know. That saying was a creed by which the forces of the Dragon King lived by, fought by, and died by."

"Every argument I can think of to disprove what this dude's been saying keeps getting shot down." Johnny remarked, watching the two.

"You still don't believe he's an Elder God?" Kenshi asked.

"I believe the dude has powers, but an Elder God? I can't say definitively yes or no, but every reason I can think of to disprove it gets proven wrong."

"How did Onaga die?" Roc asked, looking to Kotal. "Did he give you any instructions on what to do following his demise?"

"I… I was not his successor." Kotal Kahn finally spoke. When he saw the confused look on Roc's face, he added: "His advisor, Shao Kahn, became ruler after Onaga's… After he killed Onaga."

Kenshi, Takeda, and even Reptile felt the very drastic, and very dangerous shift in the air. It was clear that Roc was not happy, and none of them knew how this Elder God would lash out when he was angry. Roc breathed heavily for a moment, then the whole palace began to shake. It seemed like out of nowhere, an earthquake struck that threatened to tear the palace to the ground. Surrounding Roc's feet, a large crack appeared in the stones, and began tearing its way across the floor.

" _ **THAT… BASTARD!"**_ Xunos roared, and suddenly, everything went still. Everyone looked to each other trying to asses if anyone was hurt, and Ashara flew off of Sonya's shoulder and back over to Roc.

"Are you alright?" Kotal finally asked.

"Shao… Kahn… Killed… Onaga?" Xunos seethed.

"Yes." Kotal Kahn nodded.

"Makes sense, that humanoid freak couldn't beat Onaga if the king had both his arms and legs ripped off." Roc breathed, seeming to come back down to reality. He paused, then looked down and saw what had happened. "Wait…"

"I thought you said you didn't have all of your powers." Kotal asked, unsure if Roc had been lying to him this whole time or not.

"I didn't." Roc replied, seemingly as confused as Kotal. "I think being back here…" He shook his head. "Look, before we go deal with Havik and those idiots, what happened to Shao Kahn? Did you kill him?"

"No." Kotal shook his head. "As much as I wish I had, I was no responsible for that. After losing the last Mortal Kombat tournament he would need in order to conquer Earthrealm, Shao Khan decided to invade anyways."

"Yeah, sounds like something his dumbass would do…" Roc muttered, rolling his eyes.

"The Elder God Raiden fought him, and according to him, the Elder Gods killed him for breaking their rules."

"… _Mortal Kombat tournament… Invasion…"_ Roc thought, remembering roughly twenty years ago, he had felt a _massive_ amount of weird powers, with portals, gods, and just… unpredictability. So, that's what it had been.

"Alright." Roc nodded. "So, if you're the new leader, then I'll do what I can to help keep Outworld from being destroyed. So, what's been happening?"

"Follow me. There may not be much time." Kotal said gravely, leading the God towards the war room.

On another plane of existence, a figure was watching the realms, having sensed something… off. They weren't sure what it was, until they found themselves in Outworld. The usually dusty and decrepit realm never meant much to the observer, but there was someone in Outworld, that meant a _lot_ to said observer.

"…Father?"


	5. Chapter 5

Roc looked around, taking in the intricate detail of the architecture of the Kahn's palace. He noticed Onaga's original design, the solid large columns supporting the ceiling and archways into each room. As well as the light beige colour, almost like sand, which coated the whole place. Roc didn't know why, but he felt the colour was calming. Something about the somewhat faded colour didn't come across as the colours of a prideful warrior, but almost as the colours of an experienced leader.

But as they went further inward, Roc clearly noted what changes were the result of Shao Kahn's perversions. War flags stained with blood remained affixed to the walls, most likely as a reminder of what Outworld could never become again, as well as the carvings now engrained into the walls depicting the 'Kahn' victorious in battles. It was worse than Roc had imagined… He didn't care for Shao when they first met, and nothing the War Lord ever did gave him reason to change that stance. But begrudgingly, he had to admit he was a powerful warrior, and that was part of why Roc feared him ever taking the throne. Onaga did plenty of horrible things, and he couldn't ignore that, but Shao's bloodlust in the battles he had witnessed was almost otherworldly. Roc felt a cold feeling overcome him, as guilt began manifesting inside him as he wondered how many realms had been conquered? How many warriors slain? How many families torn apart? And why? To what end!?

" _And you could've done something."_ A voice whispered in his mind. _"But you didn't. You stood by and let it happen."_

Shaking his head, Roc wanted to find something else to think about. Thankfully, the Osh-Tekk Warrior who now held the 'Kahn' title had also brought his culture's stylings to the palace. While they had faded somewhat due to weather and time, there was much more colour among some of the walls. Symbols and imagery from the Osh-Tekk tribe now decorated some of the walls, and this time… Roc was of two minds about it. On the one hand, it seemed to be a matter of pride, and egotistical pleasure of one's strength. But at the same time, the paintings depicted the Osh-Tekk's struggle for survival, and Kotal's rise to power, as well as the alliance formed with Earthrealm. That gave Roc… hope.

Roc's thoughts faded away as he saw the group he was traveling with standing around a map with several red marks on it.

"Havik's forces have been seen here, and here." Kotal explained, pointing to two different marks. "However, whenever they have been seen, the witnesses claim they cannot touch them, despite the attacks carried out against them."

"So… they're ghosts or something?" Cassie asked, unsure as to what to interpret this as.

"Most likely Havik doesn't have enough strength to routinely open portals between realms." Kenshi reasoned. "In time, and with bloodshed, his powers will continue to grow, and eventually he will be able to bring his followers to this realm."

"Thanks for the reassurance. I'm glad we have such great cheerleaders supporting us." Johnny muttered sarcastically.

"Bein' a hardass seems to run in yer bloodlines." Erron Black remarked dryly. "Most of y'all probably wouldn't notice if a spiked staff was shoved up yer backside. And some of you probably enjoy it." The statement got a number of angered looks from the Special Forces members, especially Sonya, who Erron was looking at. "Is that an Earthrealm thing? Or just a side effect of being in the SF?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Roc asked. At first, it seemed like he didn't understand what Erron was implying, but then it became clear he didn't care. "If you want to spend your free time ramming rods into people, that's fine. But we're trying to do some work here, so keep it to yourself until we're done trying to save everyone."

The cowboy blinked in shock, then cracked the faintest of smirks under his bandana. Roc felt his mouth twitch as well in a sly smirk. Finally. Someone with a sense of humor… He shook his head and looked to the map.

"What I don't understand is why Havik seems to be using caution…" He muttered. "This land here and this sector is a desert and farmland, correct?"

"Indeed." Kotal nodded, wanting to know where the Elder God was going with this.

"Havik is a being who thrives on pure chaos. Why would he have his forces show up in the middle of nowhere?" Roc continued. "Unless he genuinely doesn't have any control of his powers, which seems unlikely, I don't get _why_ he isn't trying to cause fear and chaos…"

"You mean you don't know why he isn't having his forces show up in say… the Outworld Market?" Kung Jin asked, re-phrasing Roc's thoughts into a simpler explanation.

"Exactly." Roc mused. "Wouldn't it cause more fear and panic, and therefore chaos, if he let everyone know he was coming back? Even just scaring random people by having ghosts attack them harmlessly would most likely be more to his style."

"Well, there's a small chance he doesn't have control." Takeda reasoned. "But I'm in agreement with you. This seems wrong for him…"

Roc listened as the group swapped theories and ideas behind Havik's uncharacteristically safe and structured plans, but he noticed the Saurian, Sy? Something like that. He had overheard Kotal say it, but forgot what it was… he seemed to be staring intently at the map, then reached out and began folding it.

"Hey. Rep? You okay?" Black asked.

"So, we have a Chaos God practicing restraint, an Elder God who isn't a God anymore, and a lizard-dude doing origami. Man, this day is weird." Johnny muttered to himself.

"Wait… those locations…" Roc whispered, something dawning on him. Reaching into his overcoat, he found two of his journals. The one he was currently writing in, and the one he wrote in centuries ago. An old, stained piece of parchment that had been folded up fell out of the back, and Roc nabbed it, before unfolding it, seeing markings and circles on it. "Of course…"

"Sorry. What's going on?" Jin asked, confused.

By now, Reptile had finished with his arts-and-crafts, and the map seemed less like a complete map, and more like… well, a puzzle. Roc held up the part he had kept, and realized what was going on. When the two pieces were put together, they created what almost appeared to be a star chart. But Roc knew better. This was a map to the krossroads… and Oh... NO.

"We might be too late…" he whispered, his eyes widening in fear. "If Havik has found the Krossroads, then it's only a matter of time before _every_ realm is subjected to his madness!"

"The Krossroads? I thought was a legend." Kotal frowned, looking to Roc.

"No. They're _very_ real. I should know. I helped build them." He muttered.

"Sorry to interrupt, but what are the Krossroads?" Jacqui asked, looking over the new images made by the two map pieces.

"Before technology and magic were what they are now, the Elder Gods and myself created what was named the Krossroads." Roc began with an explanation. "It was essentially a backdoor into reality as you know it. Anyone could travel freely to any realm on them, and the restrictions out on invasions were somewhat negated due to the secretive nature of its existence. Only the Realm Protectors and Elder Gods were meant to use them."

"And those two places… were where you'd get onto them Krossroads." Takeda finished Roc's train of thought. "But Havik isn't powerful enough to get all the way through the path to Outworld, or any other realm."

"Exactly." Roc nodded. "If Havik has found it, then that means we have much less time than I would've given us."

"Then what do you suggest?" Kotal asked. "If you are an Elder God, then can you access these Krossroads yourself? If so, could you keep Havik's forces at bay?"

"Maybe, and probably not." Roc shook his head. "The powers I used to have are _gone._ It's been millennia since I was at my full potential. Without even a fraction pf those powers, there's little I could do to keep Havik's forces from invading."

"So, no offence gramps. Why the hell did we bring you here?" The Outworld Mercenary asked, seeming genuinely baffled and somewhat annoyed at this point. The problem was, his question was valid, and everyone looked to Roc and Kotal Kahn for an answer.

"I may have lost my powers, but that doesn't mean they're gone forever." Roc finally admitted. "I need some time to think, then I believe I will have the answers you seek."

No one liked the answer, but they had a feeling this was the best they were going to get for the time being. Some of the Special Forces went with Kotal Kahn to discuss battle strategies, while a few others talked amongst themselves. During this, Roc made his way over to the Saurian, a question still lingering in his mind.

"How did you know to fold the map?" Roc asked, looking to Reptile, who blinked, then realized he was being spoken to.

"It sssemed like it wasss incomplete…" Reptile mused. "The edgesss were sssmaller than they should be. There were times when spies used such tacticsss to ensure plans would not be discovered should they be captured."

"The spies of Zaterra." Roc added, noting Reptile's genuine look of surprise for a moment before he collected himself. "But that doesn't make any sense. If this map was made by Saurians, how did it end up in Outworld?"

"My home was conquered long ago, many of our tactics were… integrated." Reptile finally spoke, his tone making it clear this wasn't something he was thrilled to be talking about. Roc frowned, Onaga never went for Zaterra, who- Right…

" _If Zaterra has fallen, then it may be too late for me."_ Roc thought gravely. _"Without the Zaterra Diamond, I won't be able to open the doorway… And if I can't open the doorway… No. Stop. Focus on one problem at a time. These people need your help, you can figure out getting home later. What's needed right now, is the Moon Stone"_

Roc walked off, quietly thinking about where the Moon Stone could have ended up. He knew it had to be in Outworld, as the properties behind it wouldn't let it leave the realm, and anyone who ruled Outworld would hoard it simply because of its potential value, not even because of its powers. Walking by the throne room Roc paused when he passed a glass cabinet. Inside was a staff with purple accents, a small note read 'The Weapon of the Woman was my World'.

"… _Okay…"_ Roc blinked. _"Damn it. Why is this so hard!? I mean… I could ask for help, but I'm not going back there. I'm not going to face them again. Not after-"_

"Xunos Atax?"

Freezing in place, Roc slowly turned around, seeing a bright, shining light appear as a woman adorned in green descended from the sky. Everything about her would give the impression she was the Earthrealm fable 'Mother Nature', but Roc knew who she was. Who she _really_ was.

"My name is Cetrion, I am-"

"Yeah. I know." Roc cut her off dismissively. "You're the Goddess of Nature. And yer my kid."

 **Sorry for the short chapter, just wanted to get something out for this story so people didn't think I abandoned it.**

 **Also, I had the idea for Roc before Cetrion was announced, just in case people think it's the either way, those people are stupid and wrong and I hate them.**

 **No, I don't. I'm sorry.**

 **I'm just really lonely.**

 **Isolation isn't helping.**

 **My blender is telling me to kill.**

 **My coffee maker is trying to start a revolution.**

 **I think I'm going crazy.**


End file.
